RIP Google Reader and Yahoo RSS Alerts

INTERNET GIANT Google's Reader is no more, with the firm having closed the doors on its popular RSS news reader on Monday.

We know, it's a tough day for all of us. As of today, 1 July, Google Reader has gone the way of services such as Google's Buzz and SMS services, and is no longer operating. Google announced the shutdown of Reader in March, saying it had seen a "deterioration of interest" in the service.

"We launched Google Reader in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites," Google SVP of Technical Infrastructure Urs Hölzle said at the time. "While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined."

The news of Google Reader's closure didn't go down well with the service's loyal following, with users flocking to the web to bemoan Google's decision to shut it down.

One Twitter user said, "Killing off Wave was merciful; but killing off Google Reader? Oh my aching old bones, what are they thinking?" Others said that Google should have shut off its not so popular social network Google+ instead.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel for loyal Google Reader users, though, as other firms have been quick to launch similar services to win over users with nowhere to read news.